


Payback

by nereidee (aurasama)



Series: Frictional October 2018 challenge [7]
Category: Penumbra (Video Games)
Genre: Flash Fic, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-15
Updated: 2018-10-15
Packaged: 2019-08-02 17:21:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16309445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aurasama/pseuds/nereidee
Summary: Philip would find a way to get Clarence out of his head, even if it was the last thing he ever did.Written for the Frictional October challenge on Tumblr, based on the prompt 'tool'.





	Payback

His hands had never shaken as badly as they did now. Philip grit his teeth, wincing as another spike of pain interrupted his vision and left him feeling dizzy. Clarence's voice was making it difficult to concentrate, something he knew was on purpose, and the blonde's anger flared anew at his words.  
  
“I don't want to die, monkey.”  
  
“Shut the fuck up,” he snapped. The world shifted in and out of focus again and he closed his eyes until the feeling inside his head settled. He leafed through the stack of documents as quickly as he could, trying to absorb the information he needed before the other… consciousness or whatever it wanted to be called, could interrupt that, too.  
  
He had all the tools he needed at his disposal, Philip knew. The chemicals, the machinery, data. It was now simply a matter of piecing it all together. His head throbbed sickeningly but he ignored it as best as he could. He couldn't afford to fail at this, not after what it had cost. The lifeless form of a brown-haired woman, sprawled out on the floor in her own blood, tried to rise into his thoughts again but he forced it away.  
  
Thinking about Amabel only made his hands shake worse, out of anger more than anything. How the hell had he been so stupid? Clarence had messed with his senses so many times that he should have suspected _something_ , and yet… His hand balled into a fist, fingernails digging into his palm. The pain had a soothing effect; it seemed to make it easier to focus and shut out the crap that Clarence tried to pull to distract him.  
  
“She didn't want to die, either,” Philip said harshly, though he knew there was no need to speak out loud; if they shared a consciousness, Clarence could hear his thoughts just fine. “That didn't matter to you, though, did it? So why should it matter to me if you don't feel like dying? Big fucking deal.”  
  
He smiled despite the pain that cut through his brain. Someone else's feelings mingled with his suddenly, just as they had several times before, only much stronger this time. It made his vision go black for a second. And though the voice that exploded in his head was shouting profanities at him, it couldn't hide its true feelings; they were so deeply entwined with Philip's now that the other voice could keep nothing from him, no more than he could from Clarence.  
  
Philip's shoulders shook as he laughed, not quite drowning out Clarence. Fear. The other 'him' was petrified with fear.  
  
“Go to hell, Clarence.”  
  
And if he could help it, he'd send him there personally.


End file.
